The Deep Blue Good-By: A Travis McGee Novel, Book 1

He's a self-described beach bum who won his houseboat in a card game. He's also a knight errant who's wary of credit cards, retirement benefits, political parties, mortgages, and television. He only works when his cash runs out, and his rule is simple: he'll help you find whatever was taken from you, as long as he can keep half.

A Tan and Sandy Silence: A Travis McGee Novel, Book 13

Private eye Travis McGee outwaits and outwits a deranged killer as he searches for a missing wife on a remote Caribbean island, where he also tangles with a baby-faced businessman with a taste for murder.

The Long Lavender Look: A Travis McGee Novel, Book 12

A lovely young girl steps in front of Travis McGee's headlights. McGee misses the girl but lands in 10 feet of swamp water. As he's limping along the deserted road, someone in an old truck takes a few shots at him. And, when he goes to the local sheriff to complain, the intrepid Travis McGee finds himself arrested and charged with murder. And he can't help but ask himself, "is this what they call southern hospitality?"

Killing Floor: Jack Reacher 1

Jack Reacher jumps off a bus and walks fourteen miles down a country road into Margrave, Georgia. An arbitrary decision he's about to regret. Reacher is the only stranger in town on the day they have had their first homicide in 30 years. The cops arrest Reacher and the police chief turns eyewitness to place him at the scene. As nasty secrets leak out, and the body count mounts, one thing is for sure: They picked the wrong guy to take the fall.

Ravenspur: Rise of the Tudors

Penguin presents the unabridged downloadable audiobook edition of Ravenspur by Conn Iggulden, read by Roy McMillan. The fourth and final novel in Conn Iggulden's epic Wars of the Roses series. The season of vengeance has begun.

The Black Echo: Harry Bosch Series, Book 1

For LAPD homicide cop Harry Bosch - hero, maverick, nighthawk - the body in the drainpipe at Mulholland Dam is more than another anonymous statistic. This one is personal. The dead man, Billy Meadows, was a fellow Vietnam "tunnel rat" who fought side by side with him in a nightmare underground war that brought them to the depths of hell.

The Improbability of Love

Annie McDee, alone after the disintegration of her long-term relationship and trapped in a dead-end job, is searching for a present for her unsuitable lover in a neglected secondhand shop. Within the jumble of junk and tack, a grimy painting catches her eye. Leaving the store with the picture after spending her meagre savings, she prepares an elaborate dinner for two - only to be stood up, the gift gathering dust on her mantelpiece.

Rivers of London: PC Peter Grant, Book 1

My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit--we do paperwork so real coppers don't have to--and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May.

Conclave

The Pope is dead. Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, 118 cardinals from all over the globe will cast their votes in the world's most secretive election. They are holy men. But they have ambition. And they have rivals. Over the next 72 hours, one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on earth.

Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow

Yuval Noah Harari, author of the best-selling Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, envisions a not-too-distant world in which we face a new set of challenges. Now, in Homo Deus, he examines our future with his trademark blend of science, history, philosophy and every discipline in between. Homo Deus explores the projects, dreams and nightmares that will shape the 21st century - from overcoming death to creating artificial life.

On the Make

The classic John D. MacDonald thriller about a Korean War vet searching for a stolen fortune in a small town. Our edition comes with two excellent bonus essays, a biography of John D. MacDonald, and an exploration of the paperback revolution of the mid-20th century.

The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything

A classic novel by John D. MacDonald with an exclusive introduction written and read by Dean Koontz. Once an ordinary math teacher, Omar Krepps developed a knack for gambling, amassed a fabulous fortune, and spent the rest of his life traveling the world and giving away his millions. Upon his death, however, Krepps bequeaths nothing to his nephew and only living blood relative, Kirby Winter - nothing, that is, except an antique watch and a sealed letter to be opened after one year. But Kirby has much more in his possession than he realizes. The watch has the power to manipulate time.

Condominium: A Novel

A classic novel by John D. MacDonald with an exclusive introduction written and read by Dean Koontz. Welcome to Golden Sands, the dream condominium built on a weak foundation and a thousand dirty secrets. Here is a panoramic look at the shocking facts of life in a Sun Belt community - the real estate swindles and political payoffs, the maintenance charges that run up and the health benefits that run cut... the crackups and marital breakdowns... the disaster that awaits those who play in the path of the hurricane...

A Key to the Suite: A Novel

A classic novel by John D. MacDonald with an exclusive introduction written and read by Dean Koontz. Floyd Hubbard arrives at a convention at a busy beach-town hotel with a mission from the top brass: ax a long-time manager in the sales team who has been slacking off for too long. Hubbard's a loyal company man, but his background is engineering, not cold-blooded corporate warfare. Little does Hubbard realize that the first grenade has already been lobbed - and he's the target.Cory Barlund has heard more than her fair share of odd requests in her years as a high-class call girl, so this one's right up her alley...

The Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes From a Small Island

Twenty years ago Bill Bryson went on a trip around Britain to celebrate the green and kindly island that had become his adopted country. The hilarious book that resulted, Notes from a Small Island, was taken to the nation's heart and became the best-selling travel book ever and was voted in a BBC poll the book that best represents Britain. Now, to mark the 20th anniversary of that modern classic, Bryson makes a brand-new journey around Britain to see what has changed.

The Reluctant Hermit says:"I think Bill would rather have stayed at home."

Sanctus

An explosive apocalyptic conspiracy thriller from a major new British talent that will set the world alight...REVELATION OR DEVASTATION?The certainties of the modern world are about to be blown apart by a three thousand year-old conspiracy nurtured by blood and lies ...A man throws himself to his death from the oldest inhabited place on the face of the earth, a mountainous citadel in the historic Turkish city of Ruin. This is no ordinary suicide but a symbolic act.

The Sins of the Fathers

The hooker was young, pretty...and dead, butchered in a Greenwich Village apartment. The prime suspect, a minister's son, was also dead, the victim of a jailhouse suicide. The case is closed, as far as the NYPD is concerned. Now the murdered prostitute's father wants it opened again--that's where Matthew Scudder comes in.

A Flash of Green: A Novel

A classic novel by John D. MacDonald with an exclusive introduction written and read by Dean Koontz.A Flash of Green tells the gripping story of small-town corruption and two people brave enough to fight back, featuring many of the themes John D. MacDonald explored better than anyone in his legendary career as a leading crime novelist. The opportunists have taken over Palm City. Silent and deadly, like the snakes that infest the nearby swamps, they lay hidden from view, waiting for the right moment to strike. Political subterfuge has already eased the residents toward selling out.

Publisher's Summary

A Purple Place for Dying finds Travis McGee witness to a murder he can't prove and a kidnapping nobody wants to believe. McGee becomes a pawn between a wealthy Southwestern patriarch, the law, and a mysterious gang bent on insurance fraud. Just the kind of thing McGee revels in!

These are classic mystery stories written at a time when $10,000.00 was equal to $100,000.00 in today dollars. Also men and women had different rolls. If you take that into the balance of the story, you can enjoy the mystery, and how Trav solves each problem he encounters. I have started with book one, and have now completed book 7. They all get better I have found. Just have to get used to some of the dated language and interplay between characters. It's not 2012, but late 1960's. I still find the stories really well written and have enough mystery and strange turns of events to make each Travis McGee story a gem.

12 of 12 people found this review helpful

Elad

D.N. Hevel Eilot, Israel

01/05/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"Can't go far wrong"

between John D. MacDonald and Robert Petkoff ! I read all the Travis McGee books back in the eighties, and now am rereading, er listening to, them, one by one. No question but that popular attitudes (towards women, for example) have changed immensely since these were written back in the fifties and sixties, but some things never change, and it is these things that interested MacDonald. Now they're period pieces, but the crisp prose and keen insight bestow extra value and style. Recommended.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

United States

26/04/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"My favorite so far"

This one has our "Beach Bum" hero in a western city surrounded by desert. The action starts off fast and every time I thought I had figured out who the bad guy was, they got killed! This story really keeps you thinking!

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Jane

Darwin, Australia

23/10/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"Well written and narrated detective series"

What a series this is turning out to be. I am enjoying every aspect of the Travis McGee books. Beautifully written -- no mere narration here -- but phrases replete with layers of meaning and images. Thoughtful life philosophies are thrown into the mix and offer depth to McGee's motives. The characters are fully engaging -- ok, questionable stereotyping at time, but hey, these books were written between 1964 and 1986 and reflect the times. And what times: private investigators in all sorts of trouble and without mobile phones, the internet -- and roaming throughout society unimpeded by privacy policies and call centres.Furthermore, Life is interpreted by Travis Mcgee with practical philosophies based on really living.The plots are intriguing and plausibler. The author gently concludes each novel -- lets the main theme ebb away, and the characters have time to themselves to assimilate the invariably tempestuous events into their lives.

And finally to the narrator. Well, he has had mixed reviews on Audible, but and I think he is excellent. Firstly he manages the voices very well. Secondly he has an easy, relaxed pace that reflects the text. And most importantly, he sounds as if he understands and respects the writer and what he is setting out to shares.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Terry

Clermont, FL, United States

06/10/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"John MacDonald at his best"

Would you listen to A Purple Place for Dying again? Why?

I did listen to it again. It was worth a second listen.

What did you like best about this story?

Actually, Travis McGee story keeps my attention.

Have you listened to any of Robert Petkoff’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I do not believe I have listened to Petkoff's performance but I never pay that much attention to the performer unless he is bad. Then I make a note not to get other books by him.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It surprised me. It was very well written. Lots of twists.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Susan

Bartonville, TX

16/07/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Fun who done its!"

My first of this series but definitely not my last. Great who done its, with a fantastic lead man. None of them are very long and will be nice brain cleansers in between some heavier longer listens. The narrator does an outstanding job with all the characters voices and is a definite asset to bringing the story to life. Good reviews from Stephen king and Dean Koontz.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Eric

Spartansburg, PA, United States

25/04/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"GREAT book, the narrator is growing on me."

If you could sum up A Purple Place for Dying in three words, what would they be?

philosophical, entertaining, fun

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

the range of the narrator was impressive

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

as Travis tossed a stack of cash towards the fire

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

DanBudda

Detroit, MI USA

10/07/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Worthy McGee"

MacDonald created a character in McGee that speaks through the ages. I like the philosophical bits as much as the derring-do of the stories. Once past the arrogance of McGee as Ultimate Sexual Healer, which is a hoot, these novels still shine with wit and sadness. This one is worth the listen just to hear him talk about how corporate America and the educational system creates the robots that too many of us have become and how death alone can bring rest to those harried souls. Fair to good story, great observations about the modern man and woman's search for identity.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Me & My Girls

Va United States

27/07/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"Travis McGee in Nevada"

McGee leaves the boats and beaches of Florida for the great Southwest. This book; written in the mid sixties. Thus it contains some jarringly outdated ideas and opinions. McGee's Freudian analysis of Isobel is one such example. the sheriff openly admitting that he will be coming down on McGee if he bothers the rich husband of Travis' client. However the writing style and abilities of John D. MacDonald are good enough to overcome fifty years of change. In fact I have books of his from the early fifties. In these he displays the "red menace" paranoia common to the era. Combined with the misogynistic belief that smacking the wife around to maintain is something that must be done. Despite these shortcomings I have yet to read a bad MacDonald book. A Purple Place For Dying is one of better offerings among the early Travis McGee series.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Frank Mx

Long Beach, CA United States

04/06/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"A blast from the past."

Would you listen to A Purple Place for Dying again? Why?

Yes. Except for The Hardy Boys, Travis McGee was my first serial character. His villains are bad, his damsels are vulnerable and this man knows what his values are. Who else would hit a bad guy with a sapphire? Plus he has his own brand of sex therapy. What's not to like? I still love to hear Travis' thoughts on the condition of our changing culture. Was it really so obvious then? In the 70's a reviewer described John D MacDonald as perhaps not even the best MacDonald currently writing in the genre. Now I can't remember the reviewer or the other MacDonald.

What did you like best about this story?

Revisiting an old friend.

Have you listened to any of Robert Petkoff???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. I'll be looking for more.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Just a wonderful nostalgia.

Any additional comments?

Thank you. Now could you please do Mac Donadls' Condominium?

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

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